Reach out to the Community Cooking for the Homeless
To provide food for the homeless community and provide a volunteering opportunity for local residents who want to help.Benefit of food provision
Food insecurity has been shown to have a negative impact on mental and physical health across the lifespan. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Food Foundation estimates that the number of adults facing food poverty has quadrupled. Providing food parcels has been a popular and effective community response to the increased demand for and pressure on community food support, particularly food banks. Community groups are well-placed to provide support to hard-to-reach groups and the clinically extremely vulnerable who are required to self-isolate. Their cultural understanding and local knowledge helps ensure provisions meet the needs of local residents. Food boxes encourage families to cook from scratch which is associated with a healthier diet and increased fruit and vegetable intake.
Location
Chorlton
Project team
Buzz
Reach Out to the Community (ROTC)
Aim
To provide funding for cooking equipment to enable ROTC to provide food for the homeless community in Manchester and provide a volunteering opportunity for local residents who want to help.
Evaluation
This was successful and appreciated by those who participated.
Strategic links to local/national policies
|
Benefit |
Policy |
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Helping people live healthier lives |
Healthy Lives, Healthy People (MH Government, 2010) Fair Society, Healthy Lives (Institute of Health Equity, 2010) The Manchester Locality Plan – A Healthier Manchester |
|
Increased mental wellbeing |
|
|
Addressing health inequalities |
Fair Society, Healthy Lives (Institute of Health Equity, 2010) |
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Community ownership and long-term sustainability |
Research/evidence base
Graven, C.; Power, M.; Jones, S.; Possingham, S. and Bryant, M. (2020). Interim Report: The impact of COVID-19 on the provision of food aid in Bradford.
Gundersen, C. & Ziliak, J. P. (2015). Food Insecurity And Health Outcomes. Health Affairs. 34:11, 1830–1839.
Macaninch, E.; Martyn, K; Lima do Vale, M. Exploring the implications of COVID-19 on widening health inequalities and the emergence of nutrition insecurity through the lens of organisations involved with the emergency food response. (2020) BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health.
NCVO (2018) Impactful Volunteering: Understanding the Impact of Volunteering on Volunteers
Rachel Loopstra, ENUF, King’s College London, The Food Foundation. (2020). Vulnerability to food insecurity since the COVID-19 lockdown.
Contact
Laura Cassidy - Neighbourhood Health Worker
T. 07818 522 978
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